AZDonna

For some “cool” fun, check this out. You can make snowflakes all day long, each one prettier than the last. Be sure to visit the gallery while you’re there.

We’re moving Mom this weekend. There is a nice apartment for a less expensive rate available, and she has to be moved by this Wednesday. I spent six hours on Saturday and four on Sunday over at her place packing boxes and throwing out stuff she doesn’t use anymore. We can get into the new apartment today, so Daryl, Brian, Mark and I are going to move her stuff over there. Everyone should move every few years. It’s the best “spring cleaning” incentive there is. I cringe to think of all that people will find in my house when I’m gone. I’ve lived here 20 years next spring! In fact, sorting through all Mom’s stuff and moving her into a fresh new place has inspired me to do some fall cleaning myself.

Later this month I’m driving up to Boise to see Robin and Ken. I’ll arrive on Steven’s birthday, and Megan will be on one of her school breaks the week I’m there. It should be a nice road trip, a fun visit, and I’m definitely looking forward to the break from work, work, work!

Happy Labor Day, everyone!

I have some advice for everyone who reads this. If your refrigerator goes out, do not eat any leftovers from said refrigerator for dinner, even if it seems to taste fine. It will not be so fine at 4:30 the next morning. Additionally, you may find yourself working from home that day where you can be close to the facilities.

And now the fun news … I just bought a new refrigerator!

Marvell distributed job offers to the Arizona employees today. In my mask design group of 25, two did not get offers. They were told there were not quite enough positions at Marvell, but I wonder if past performance had something to do with it.

I was quite satisfied with my offer, and we had an overview of their benefits this afternoon. Their stock program is better than Intel’s, but retirement program not as good. The medical plan is comparable. The remaining 3 questions are these: location? location? location? That is unknown; they are still negotiating regarding several sites.

There have been questions over the pronunciation of Marvell’s name: is it MAR-vuhl or mar-VELL? Well, the HR VP said it is mar-VELL and she explained how they came up with the name. It stands for marvelous, and has a silicon valley sound, like Intel or Dell. At that point, someone spoke up and said they could drop the “e” if they wanted. That got a big laugh in the room.

I’m feeling pretty good about my future. It’ll be different, but the potential looks bright. Marvell’s stock has done extremely well over the years, and lots more of my compensation will now be distributed in stock options and RSUs, so if history is any indication, I may be able to retire by the time I’m in a wheelchair. I hope the Intel group they have acquired will do as well as their current crop of employees, and we can make them even more successful and profitable.

I am having acupuncture treatment. If you have ever had acupuncture, you know it’s not painful at all. You hardly even feel the needles when they go in until they hit the “meridian”. Then there is a little zing sensation. If you move that part of your body (foot, wrist, knee, etc) while the needle is in, you’ll get that zing sensation again. I wouldn’t call it pleasant, but it’s not painful either.

I’m trying this as my last resort before pursuing something more invasive for my shoulder. It has given me problems for years, mostly related to using the computer mouse. About three years ago, I started mousing with my left hand because my right shoulder ached all the time. No one can tell me it is impossible to learn to mouse with your non-dominant hand. I can draw those tiny little computer chips with mine!

Today, Intel announced that they are laying off 1000 managers. They are targeting mostly 2-in-a-box situations, but also looking to streamline more departments and flatten hierarchy. By the end of the day, word was buzzing around with names of people who had already been walked out the door. One guy we all knew (and Daryl knows him, too) has worked at Intel for 25 years. What a tough break. Hopefully, he has some stock options that are still worth something, and lots more money put away. With the pretty robust severance packages they announced, most should be fine. But it’s still hard to be laid off after working your whole adult life for one company. Marvell is looking more and more appealing. I think now I got the lucky break!